ST. LOUIS, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) subsidiary AmerenUE, announced today that, in a first-ever venture for the company, AmerenUE has signed an agreement to purchase 102 megawatts (MW) of wind power from phase II of Horizon Wind Energy's Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm in Iowa. That's enough to power 26,000 households. This farm is fully operational with both phases having a total capacity of more than 300 megawatts (MW). For a look at a typical wind farm, visit the Web site of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) http://www.awea.org/. The power AmerenUE is purchasing will tie into the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) transmission grid, of which the company is a member, fulfilling AmerenUE's commitment to add 100 megawatts of renewable capacity to serve its Missouri customers by 2010. "This is only one of many initiatives we have established to increase renewable resources and improve the environment," says AmerenUE President and Chief Executive Officer Warner L. Baxter. "We will be looking for additional opportunities as we increase the amount of renewable resources in our generating portfolio. This is a significant first step toward further diversifying our fuel mix and demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship." As a culmination of a thorough, multi-year review of proposals, AmerenUE chose the already established Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm for this purchase and recently signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to commence on Sept. 1 of this year for about one third of the wind farm's output. Pricing and other contract terms were not disclosed. Horizon Wind Energy LLC ("Horizon") develops, constructs, owns and operates wind farms throughout North America. Based in Houston, Texas, with over 20 offices across the United States, Horizon has developed more than 2,800 megawatts (MW) and operates over 2,000 MW of wind farms. Horizon is owned by EDP Renovaveis S.A. ("EDPR"), headquartered in Madrid, Spain, and a subsidiary of Energias de Portugal, S.A. ("EDP"), a vertically-integrated utility company based in Portugal. EDP is currently ranked third in the United States in wind energy by net installed capacity. Through its various constituent businesses, EDP holds significant electricity and gas operations in Europe, Brazil, and the United States. With assets of over $23 billion, Ameren serves approximately 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million natural gas customers in a 64,000 square mile area of Missouri and Illinois. Ameren owns a diverse mix of electric generating plants strategically located in its Midwest market with a generating capacity of more than 16,400 megawatts. DATASOURCE: Ameren Corporation CONTACT: Susan Gallagher of Ameren, +1-314-554-2175, ; or Tim Fox of AmerenUE, +1-314-554-4335, ; or Sarah Bray of Horizon Wind Energy, +1-713-265-3010, Web Site: http://www.awea.org/ http://www.ameren.com/

Copyright